Houston Dynamo Advance in US Open Cup with Win Over El Paso
(image via Aldo Canale)
After three straight losses, the Houston Dynamo entered the Round of 32 in the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup looking to gain some confidence and get back that winning feeling. Houston welcomed USL Championship club El Paso Locomotive FC to Shell Energy Stadium. El Paso came into the match unbeaten in 2026. On paper, it looked to be a tricky match up for the Dynamo, but an early goal helped settle the nerves and re-find Houston’s form.
Head coach Ben Olsen made some changes to the lineup, Only Felipe Andrade, Agustin Bouzat, and Guilherme remained in the starting eleven from the loss to Colorado on Saturday. A number of players got a chance to get minutes and show their worth. Two of them combined on a beautiful goal just minutes in.
Nick Markanich made a nice run into the right side of the box, just 90 seconds after the opening whistle, and clipped a ball in front of goal. Ondrej Lingr got on his bike and his acrobatic finish came off El Paso goalkeeper Sebastian Mora-Mora’s hands and into the side netting to put Houston ahead 1-0 in the second minute.
El Paso’s best chance came off a Sam Vines turnover. Locomotive won the ball and drove into the box. The ball was laid off to the left side of the box but the shot hit the far post and bounced away.
The game would turn on 25 minutes when Lingr broke away from the back line. He was pushed down by El Paso center back Kofi Twumasi. Referee Trevor Wiseman was left with no choice and pulled out the red card for denial of a goal scoring opportunity, leaving Locomotive with 10 men.
Houston was able to control the match for the remainder of the first half, holding onto the ball and keeping El Paso on their back foot. The Dynamo took the 1-0 lead into half time.
Mateusz Bogusz came on to start the second half, replacing Guilherme, and found the back of the net seconds after stepping on the field. The Polish Designated Player drove into the box on the left and shot with his right foot. The shot took a deflection off an El Paso defender and found the net in the 46h minute to put the Dynamo ahead 2-0.
Markanich put the game to bed in the 58th minute with Houston’s third goal. Good build up from Houston got Bogusz free on the right to send a cross in. The ball found the head of Hector Herrera who nodded it down for Markanich. He swiveled and hit a first time shot with his left foot that tucked into the side netting at the back post. Houston’s lead was now 3-0.
El Paso got a consolation goal from a former Houston Dynamo player, and what a goal it was. Former Dynamo 2 stand out, and the first-ever MLS NEXT Pro player to sign a first-team contract with a MLS team, Beto Avila came off the bench for Locomotive in the second half. In the 75th minute, Avila had a good bit of individual work to get space on his right foot and he smashed a shot to get El Paso on the board with a banger that beat Houston goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer and made the score 3-1.
Five minutes later, substitute Ezequiel Ponce restored Houston’s three goal advantage. The Argentine DP rose to meet it and he buried the header to put Houston ahead 4-1 in the 80th minute.
The final whistle blew with the Dynamo picking up a 4-1 win to advance to the Round of 16. The Dynamo will host another USL Championship club, Louisville City FC, in the next round. That match will take place April 28 or 29.
Even though it was against a USL Championship team that played most of the match with ten men, a win is a win, especially for this Dynamo team who has been struggling. They will now look to take this momentum back into league play as they travel to Florida to take on Orlando City on Saturday night.
